Muslims Urged to Vote

As I have mentioned before, American politics is tricky business for Muslims. This was best illustrated in a post that I wrote entitled, “Is The US Becoming Islamized?” when I said,

“It is funny because the real issues come to light for Muslims when you take a deeper look at politics. I say this because for the most part, Islamic teachings align Muslims with right wing Conservatives. But yet right wing Conservatives are doing all of the Muslim-bashing! And it is the Liberals that are supporting activism against the occupation of Palestine for example. This is what Americans really need to look at, the political agenda of right wing Conservatives and more importantly the infamous Neoconservatives like Bill Kristol.” (H. Abdullah, Wa Salaam)

This comment inspired a lengthy discussion that included the opinions of Dean Esmay, and although a healthy political debate surfaced as a result of this discussion, the problem for Muslims remains when it comes to voting in the up and coming election. So Muslim leaders in Washington have come up with an initiative to keep Muslims informed of their political significance. This initiative led by the Muslim American Society (MAS) is urging Muslims to register and vote through the Center for Electoral Empowerment website called Voting is Power (VIP), this issue was discussed recently on Arab News,

“WASHINGTON, 30 September 2006 — National Muslim-American civic leaders are urging the country’s estimated 2 to 3 million Muslim potential voters to register and vote. At a briefing yesterday at the National Press Club, the leaders unveiled a ‘VIP’ — “Voting is Power” website, urging the nation’s Muslims to register and vote.” (B. Ferguson, Arab News)